1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to electronic kiosks, and more particularly, to multifunctional self-service shipping and mail processing systems.
2. Related Art
The movement of goods from an origin to a destination is a foundational economic practice for which much development efforts in systems and methods for managing and improving the efficiency of the process have been focused. In a traditional “brick and mortar” retail environment, the customer simply visits the store and purchases the product, effectively taking physical delivery of the same. The precursor steps of the retailer receiving the product from the distributor, of the distributor receiving the product made and packaged by the manufacturer, and of the manufacturer sourcing raw materials and/or parts for the product remain opaque to the end purchaser. There is typically no involvement of the end purchaser in the logistics of bringing the product to the end retailer, and are instead handled by professional logistics personnel employed by the retailers, distributors, and manufacturers, along with any third party transport service providers retained thereby.
However, due to the ever-increasing popularity of Internet-based shopping, end customers are becoming integrated into the logistics process, that is, purchased products are being delivered to the homes and offices of the customers. Typically, online retailers use third party package delivery services such as UPS, FedEx, DHL, as well as the United States Postal Service that transport purchased products from the distribution centers of the retailers to the customers. Due in part to the high number of package originations, the distribution centers utilize sophisticated logistics systems that integrate tightly with those of the package delivery services. Thus, steps beyond the manual picking/packaging stage such as labeling, sorting, routing, and tracking are highly automated. Unless there is a delivery exception that requires the customer/recipient's intervention, the most that is required by the customer is providing a delivery address to the retailer. This is the case for other types of retail shopping such as catalog and mail ordering.
There may be instances where the customer desires to exchange, return, or otherwise ship a received product back to a retailer or manufacturer, so in such circumstances, the customer may need to interface with the package delivery services. There may be little the customer needs to do besides placing the product to be returned in the box in which it was originally delivered, affixing a pre-printed label that includes the return address of the retailer's return processing center, and physically placing the package in a deposit box or storefront of the shipping company, or arranging for its pickup.
Online shopping, however, is not limited to such high-volume retailers with automated logistics for delivering goods to and accepting returns from the customer. Smaller scale retailers may rely upon existing systems offered by the package delivery services in order to select the appropriate shipping container, determine price, and generate shipping labels that incorporate unique identifiers for routing and tracking the package through the delivery network. Although some of these functions such as rate calculation and label printing can be accomplished with online tools and basic computer equipment, it may be necessary for retailer personnel to visit the package shipping company storefront or customer service center to complete shipment. Shipping companies offer pickup services that may eliminate some of these burdens, but it may be incumbent on the retailer to correctly package and label the packages before pickup.
In order to automate some of these shipping procedures, as well as to provide after business hours service, shipping companies have also installed electronic kiosks in central locations proximal to office buildings and retail establishments. Typically, the kiosks incorporate computer terminals by which addressing information may be entered, a delivery service level (ground, two-day, overnight, etc.) as well as add-on services such as return receipt, insurance, and so forth may be specified. Because shipping costs are generally dependent on the weight of the package, the kiosk may incorporate a scale that measures package weight in order to determine appropriate shipping costs. Shipping rates also depend on the size/dimensions of the package, so the computer terminal may prompt the customer to enter in dimensional data after measuring. The computer terminal may be connected to a label printer that outputs a label for the customer to affix to the package prior to tendering to the shipping company. Additionally, the computer terminal may communicate with a central database of the shipping company to record the newly initiated shipment and all the inputted details thereof. The kiosk may include an integrated deposit box for securely storing the labeled packages for subsequent pickup by shipping company personnel.
Package shipping services are not limited to commercial applications, as gifts and other personal items may be shipped from one individual to another. While the shipping procedures of the shipping companies may be well understood by any retailer that ships packages on a regular basis, they may be seem complex and confusing to individuals who may ship only a packages a year. This is particularly so for those customers using electronic kiosks because guidance may be limited.
Regardless of the relative sophistication of the customer utilizing electronic shipping kiosks, there is a need in the art for self-service shipping systems that automate the shipping procedure, particularly in relation to package acceptance.